ABC 666 Canberra - Dispute between Telstra and the Federal Government
REPORTER: Minister, good morning.
HELEN COONAN: Morning Gillian.
REPORTER: Telstra's Public Policy Chief Phil Burgess says your record shows you haven't done a good job for Australia. He's right if you measure it in terms of broadband penetration isn't he?
HELEN COONAN: Well, I don't think that Mr Burgess is in any position to be talking about the Government's performance on broadband. Telstra could have rolled out broadband literally months if not years ago. It could have stepped up to the plate. It could have been a leader in rolling out broadband; instead of engaging in King Kong like antics in fighting with the Government, Telstra could have switched on ADSL2 plus in 480 exchanges and it simply gone on a capital strike, rather than get on with providing consumers with the kind of services they need and want.
REPORTER: But after 11 years in government surely your Government has to take responsibility for leadership in the area of broadband?
HELEN COONAN: That is precisely what we have done in rolling out a whole new independent network, a $2 billion network that will simply transform the way in which broadband is provided in this country.
Now this is despite Telstra's opposition. Despite the fact that it appears that they contemplated putting in a non-compliant bid to be able to roll out such a network themselves.
Telstra only has itself to blame if it hasn't actually stepped up to the plate and been able to take advantage of being the market leader and being in such a dominant position in Australia. The Government has taken a leadership position and we have a seamless plan for broadband right across the country...
REPORTER: Some may argue...
HELEN COONAN: ... people covered by 2009. There's no other alternative policy that comes anywhere near the comprehensiveness of 100 per cent coverage of fast internet.
REPORTER: To which Telstra has argued too little too late and in a way it is easy for you to kick them because it makes it seem as though you're keeping regional and rural Australians happy on this issue.
HELEN COONAN: Well, regional and rural Australians have got as much right as people who live in metropolitan areas to have decent services. And this is what the Howard Government has been doing. It's been standing up for consumers, making sure that they actually get the services they need and want, and this latest complaint by Telstra is just extraordinary.
The Government is simply holding Telstra to its own promise that it won't switch off the CDMA network in the bush until the next generation network provides equivalent or better coverage.
What are Telstra afraid of? If they keep to their promise, there will be absolutely no problem with them being able to switch it off on the date they want on the 28th of January.
It's a reasonable safeguard and the consumers of Australia look to the Government and expect the Government to be able to stand up to Telstra, that has failed the bush over many years in not providing the kind of services they want.
REPORTER: Minister the latest Newspoll today shows despite what the Coalition thought was a good couple of weeks Labor still holds a significant lead. Do you think those numbers are going to turn around?
HELEN COONAN: Well look I think what it shows is that it will be very tough Gillian and the Australian people really do need to think very carefully about the choices they will make.
The choice, of course, is that if they're going to seriously look at the Labor Party, there are no policies that could give anyone confidence that Australians will be any better off under a Rudd Government, particularly with the level of inexperience and compromised candidates who are beholden to the unions.
REPORTER: Minister thanks for talking to AM this morning.
HELEN COONAN: Thank you very much.
TONY EASTLEY: Telecommunications Minister Helen Coonan with Gillian Bradford.